Poetics of the Found

In 1961, William C. Seitz, then Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art, curated the exhibition and wrote the accompanying book, The Art of Assemblage, which recognized for the first time that “. . . collages, ‘readymades,’ ‘found objects,’ ‘surrealist objects,’ ‘combine-paintings,’ and other varieties of assemblage are diverse manifestations of a common tradition which is unique to the 20th century.”

Assemblage, in art, is work that incorporates found objects, fragments, and everyday materials – elements not originally intended as art materials – into a composition. The ready-made elements may be identifiable within a work or transformed to some degree but, within the context of an entire composition, take on a new aesthetic or symbolic meaning. Assemblage works may be considered collages with aspects of volume. The artists below continue this ‘new’ tradition into the 21st century, creating works in encaustic that incorporate common materials in uncommon ways each giving expression to their unique and poetic vision.

“I resonate with the Japanese aesthetics of wabi and sabi . . . concepts of solitude, simplicity, longing and the passage of time. In my poetic assemblages, I juxtapose antique, vintage and found objects with color and drawing to explore deep experiences of nature and the metaphysics of place and memory.”

“I use foundry patterns, old drawers and antique boxes to house little worlds whose themes include the mystery of the cosmos, travel, magic and chance. I enjoy collecting the objects as much as the challenge of saying ‘just enough’ in order to leave the rest to the imagination.”

“The tree is the inspiration for my work. The lumber and logs have rough and elegant elements. The wood is carved and then “dressed” with color using paint, encaustic and gilding. Encaustic gives the work a semi-opaque, jewel-like glow. These combined elements record a journey of memory, images and ideas.”

“For years, I have been interested in building images in layers. I started making relief constructions in late 2012 and have cycled back and forth between painting and sculpture since then. My current work combines sculpture and painting with an emphasis on the role as a builder.”

“Works in the Bundle Series are vessels, reliquaries of a sort, that symbolically, and sometimes literally, hold and protect that which I find precious. Encased in a protective shell of encaustic and wrapped in string are bits of old clothes, scraps of encaustic monotypes, coffee bags, textiles and shredded ephemera.”

“In the series, Self Help, I use discarded books from psychology programs, get-rich-quick guides and business management paradigms to serve as platforms for disembodied phallic forms made from wax, hair, clothing, debris, soap, etc. My intention is to complicate given notions of masculine gender identity, sexual normativity and cultural power.”

“The mixed media assemblage from the illuminations series, uses an original family debris monoprint as the base for an encaustic and organic family debris composition comprising, egg shells, grape stems, pistachio nut shells, and coffee grounds. The assemblage shines the light on our family’s life, consumption and what remains.”

“The Bound Doll series is a response to the bittersweet experience of finding secondhand rag dolls and cast-off costume jewelry. At one time, these things were most likely precious to someone but have become tarnished and broken with time.”

Issue 15

IN THE HEADER: Lynda Ray

Saturated color and geometric pattern, executed with a paint-laden brush, are the hallmarks of Lynda Ray’s work. “My paintings are containers of time. The tiers of color viewed through layers of pattern reveal traces of previous stages, compressed like a double-exposure photograph,” says Lynda, who lives in Virginia and exhibits and teaches throughout the United States.
Image: Double Fade, 2016, encaustic on panel, 12 x 12 inches. Click pic to view the work larger

Exhibitions

ProWax members exhibit widely and often. Here, Sandi Miot (California) is represented with an image of the cover of her catalog, Sandi Miot: The Medium is the Muse, which is also the title of her retrospective at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. Click pic to see our Exhibitions listings, edited by Cheryl McClure, where you will find more on Sandi’s show. Image: Detail of Purple Sculpture from the Biome series, 2015, mixed media and wax

Workshops

ProWax members teach throughout the United States and Internationally. Here, Binnie Birstein (Connecticut) is shown printing an encaustic collagraph by a student in one of her recent workshops. Binnie teaches through the United States. Click pic to see our Workshop listings, edited by Dawna Bemis

Bio

Each issue we’ll spotlight a PWJ staffer. Corina Alvarezdelugo (Connecticut) is involved in the technical production of ProWax Journal. Born in Venezuela and trained there and in the United States, Corina is a painter and sculptor who works in a variety of mediums including wax. Click pic to read more about Corina and the entire staff on our Bios page, edited by Hylla Evans

Conference 11

For ProWax Journal Staff

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Copyright Notice

All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ProWax Journal or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.